Diary of a common soldier in the American Revolution 1775-1783
An annoted edition of the military journal of Jeremiah Greenman
Edited by Robert Bray and Paul Bushnell
I guess it's a little odd reviewing what is technically a diary, but here goes anyway. This book is essentially just as the title implies, a diary of common soldier Jeremiah Greenman.
The book is divided into campaigns, which are essentially years. Each chapter starts off with a general overview by the editors as to what's happening and then is followed with the actual diary entries. When Greenmen mentions something that needs further explanation, there is a series of notes at the end of each chapter to clear things up. In some cases, the editors are telling the reader about misinformation Greenman has received from camp gossip, in other cases they are updating the reader with necessary background information. If you get this book, I highly recommend reading each note as you get to it, as it provides a much better overall context for what is going on in the war in general.
Greenman has an interesting path through the Revolution, starting his journey with the ill-fated campaign with Benedict Arnold to take Quebec. Greenman is captured but eventually exchanged. He also takes part in the defense of the Deleware, Valley Forge, Monmouth and Rhode Island campaigns. He also is at Morristown and the Hudson Highlands before being captured again, but by this time he is an officer and at least get paroled in New York awaiting exchange.
Being the diary of a person who has limited language skills can make this book a fairly dry read. I will also warn you that a great deal of the entries are "nothing to report" or Greenman traveling from Point A to Point B with an entry for each stop along the way, such as "Today traveled as far as Princeton."
As a student of this era, what I found interesting was it gave you a pretty good idea of how slow army life can be, along with a few periods of intense action. Unfortunately, Greenman's not the most colorful writer and the battle descriptions are very sparse. He also gets wounded twice, but then there is no update as to how he has healed or what effect it had on him.
The editors do an outstanding job providing context via the notes that belong to each chapter, which is why I recommend reading them as you go. They also provide a nice summary of the overall action.
If you are a fan of the era and have read a lot about it, I think you will find the diary interesting. If you have a casual interest, then this book is probably too dry for you to enjoy and I recommend Joseph Plumb Martin's diary instead.
Pros: Interesting insight into the army life of a common soldier who eventually becomes an officer and participates in several major actions of the war. Excellent notes from the editors to help you get through the book and understand the context of what's happening to Greenman.
Cons: Only for hardcore fans of the era. Many of the entries are pretty bland with nothing really going on. Casual readers would find this book a massive bore.
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